Health officials said this week, monkeypox cases are declining in New York City and globally as more people get vaccinated and as they change sexual behavior to deal with disease outbreaks.
New York City on Thursday reported that 2,885 cases of monkeypox have been identified in the city since the first case in the city was identified in May. In mid-August, about 50 new cases of monkeypox were detected each day, down from about 70 new daily cases appearing in late July and early August. according to city data.
“In recent days, we’ve started to see cases drop and transmission slow,” said Dr. Ashwin Vasan, New York City health commissioner. during the City Council meeting on Wednesday.
Smallpox cases in monkeys are also decreasing in parts of California and in Europe, at one point 90% of cases in the world. The World Health Organization on Thursday reported that cases of smallpox in monkeys globally down 21 percent last week. But the overall trend has masked increased cases in other parts of the world, including Latin America and Africa.
In New York, Dr. Vasan attributed the drop to the city’s effort to get tens of thousands of people vaccinated; the city administered 69,311 doses of the vaccine, according to city data.
Things to know about monkeypox virus
Everything you need to know about Monkey Smallpox Virus
What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is a virus similar to smallpox, but the symptoms are less severe. It was discovered in 1958, after an outbreak of disease in monkeys kept for research. The virus is mainly found in parts of Central and West Africa, but it has recently spread to dozens of countries and infected tens of thousands of people, overwhelmingly those who have sex. homosexuality.
He also said that “the heroic efforts of community leaders and advocates to spread the message” about how to prevent the spread of the disease have contributed to the reduction of the disease.
Monkeypox is mainly spread among men who have sex with men, including gay and bisexual men, and transgender people, and those with multiple sexual partners. Officials have struggling with communication risks to the most vulnerable while not discriminating against sex or asking people to change their sexual behavior.
In the early days of the outbreak in the United States, the federal government also faced lack of primary vaccine, manufactured by a company based in Europe. However, in the past few weeks, federal officials have accepted a new strategy to prolong vaccine suppliesrequires the use of smaller doses of vaccine administered between layers of skin, rather than subcutaneously.
Even as cases dwindle in initial hotspots, federal officials say now is not the time to stop fighting the virusas other states are still seeing increased cases.
Health service Dept also fought to distribute the dose of monkeypox vaccine equitably. In New York City, black people in particular were left out.
About 35% of the monkeypox cases reported were Hispanic New Yorkers, about 28% were Black, and about 27% were white, according to city data. But of the doses of the vaccine given, about 45 percent went to whites, compared with about 23 percent for Hispanics and nearly 12 percent for blacks.
The city’s early efforts at vaccination fueled some of these differences: The first batch of the vaccine was given out with little advance notice to a predominantly white crowd at a health clinic. sexual health in Manhattan’s relatively affluent Chelsea neighborhood. Then everyone ran into problems trying to schedule appointments on the city’s website.
The city has since worked to make the vaccine available to a broader group of people at risk and has begun to work more closely with community organizations. Last week, city officials announced grants to community groups to promote smallpox vaccination of monkeys in low-income areas.
However, the demand for vaccines seems to be decreasing. Mark D. Levine, Manhattan borough president, Note on Twitter that monkeypox appointments available on Wednesday night were not being made as quickly as they used to be.
Mr. Levine’s county has the highest number of reported cases: 1,211. The majority of people who contracted monkeypox in New York City were between the ages of 25 and 34, followed by the ages of 35 to 44. About 92% of cases were male, and sexual orientation was reported. The most popular is LGBTQ+, according to city data.
